Posted on 10/17/2020 2:27:54 PM PDT by Capt. Tom
A federal judge in Miami is warning Carnival Corp. that she plans to hold the cruise line to the parameters of its probation, meaning the company must certify that every ship is compliant 60 days before setting sail again in U.S. waters.
The stern reminder from U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida Patricia Seitz will certainly endanger Carnival’s plan to resume operations on Dec. 1, assuming the Centers for Disease Control lifts its ‘no-sail order’ on Nov. 1, according to the Miami Herald.
Carnival has been on probation since April 2017 after pleading guilty to dumping oily waste into the ocean for a period of eight years from its Princess Cruises ships. It paid a $40 million fine at the time, but just two years later it pleaded guilty again to violating probation with more environmental crimes and paid another $20 million in fines.
This time, Carnival agreed to more oversight of the company.
Seitz said she will consider making her warning official shortly, meaning Carnival will have to notify her 60 days in advance of any ship hitting the water again.
“I will determine whether the level of compliance...whether it is appropriate that that ship enter and operate in U.S. waters,” she said, according to the Herald.
Carnival lawyers David Kelly and David Markus asked Seitz to delay her final ruling given the company’s financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The market has already reacted to this,” Kelly said. “This could have a huge negative impact on the company.”
Before the ships resume operations, Seitz said she is most concerned about them having the right pollution-prevention equipment, critical environmental spare parts, staffing, voyage planning software and vetting of waste vendors on shore, all things the company has struggled to maintain during its years on probation.
“Do I want to get down and look at every single nut and bolt? No,” Seitz said. “But the items I have listed...are areas that need to be addressed because they go to the heart of the repetitive issues that this company has had that has led to compliance issues.”
Carnival is the largest Cruise line, and has now after scraping and selling some of them, about 100 cruise ships around the world.
Sixty days is a long time to be idle from a US port at this state of the Covid shutdown game.
In less than 2 weeks the CDC can shut down all cruising from the USA for months,-stay tuned. -Tom
Judges like this are why appeals courts exist.
Yup. Slick Willy judge.
Extensive environmental violations and busting probation are sure to try the patience of most judges.
These cruise lines have been shut down about 8 months now, and it is affecting many working Americans in many businesses.
You would expect that our courts would try to expedite getting the Cruise Lines back to doing business to help fellow unemployed Americans get back to work in Industries depending on Cruise lines operating. - Tom
Whole industries have been shut down for 8 months now. And the best response by the government and many here has been go work at scamazon, work in fast-food or be a gig worker (whose potential earnings have crashed through the floor)
Some here and elsewhere cheering that the cruise industry, the airline industry, the tourism, casino, sports, events, music and entertainment industries are shut down.
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and earn up to 1/5 of your previous wages in this new economy. Live in your car, a tent, or bedspace dormitory-style Indian-style with 5 others in a room meant for 1.
“Extensive environmental violations”
Ooooh, the horror! Dumping human poop tanks too far into glacier bay is a catastrophe. Can’t have human poop mixing with whale poop, increasing fertilization of the sea grass, krill and plankton which support the food chain.
“Some here and elsewhere cheering that the cruise industry, the airline industry, the tourism, casino, sports, events, music and entertainment industries are shut down.”
Leftists love telling others what to do. These are the people who will gleefully murder their neighbors for ‘the grater good’.
They are Fascists. They do not respect the freedoms or choices of others.
Tom here- I wonder if the Judge didn't send the message to Carnival that you aren't going anywhere that she plans to hold the cruise line to the parameters of its probation, meaning the company must certify that every ship is compliant 60 days before setting sail again in U.S. waters.
If Carnival met that standard right now, this minute, they would not be able to cruise until late December. (if our CDC doesn't stop them )
What a predicament for the Cruise Lines, and all the unemployed workers directly and indirectly involved. -Tom
The CDC is just a bunch of HACK BUREAUCRATS that HATE TRUMP and they hate people having FUN!
And I really believe they are incompetent when it comes to Disease Control.
How could they have conflicting ideas about a virus that is the purpose of their existence and come up with a lack of basics about how the virus spreads ,how long it is active etc. The CDC acts like a virus is a new phenomenon and never been see before.
Makes me wonder what the CDC did with all the money given to them for Disease Control and research.-Tom
One or two vessels doing that is not the issue. Thousands doing so is the problem, with no one — not even Carnival and its billionaire owner — entitled to disregard the law. And I note that Carnival pleaded guilty both times, on facts that showed aggravated and fully intentional violations.
No they plead guilty at the time so that it wouldnt be dragged out in court and cost more and so they could get back to what they do best...providing cruising fun for people like me...
The guilty pleas and allocutions in open court were detailed and compelling as to Carnival’s guilt. And it seems that Carnival is unable or unwilling to meet basic environmental responsibilities. If you go on their cruises, take care when you go walking or swimming on one of their exclusive beaches that you do not encounter Carnival cruise line sewage.
A Clintoon Judge no less.. She cares so much about the environment, she’s willing to kill industries.
https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/seitz-patricia
"Carnival has already restarted cruises on its Costa Cruises line in Italy and plans to restart its first cruise on its AIDA line in Italy on Saturday. The company plans to restart U.S. cruises from PortMiami and Port Canaveral on Dec. 1."
"The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January."
Click on the link below for the whole story. -Tom
Miami Herald article on the 60 day cruising delay for CARNIVAL Cruise line
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